Learn about more common mistakes made by native Greek speakers
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some common mistakes made by native Greek speakers? Part 2 |
| Chrissi: And why do they make them? |
| Michael: At GreekPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Maritina Chalepa makes a language mistake common for many native speakers. Her teacher, Anna-Maria Aslanidou, corrects her: |
| "The war began in 220 anno Domine (AD)." |
| Μαριτίνα Χαλεπά: Ο πόλεμος ξεκίνησε το 220 μετά Χριστού (μ.Χ.). (O pólemos xekínise to diakósia íkosi metá Hristú (m.H.).) |
| Dialogue |
| Μαριτίνα Χαλεπά: Ο πόλεμος ξεκίνησε το 220 μετά Χριστού (μ.Χ.). (O pólemos xekínise to diakósia íkosi metá Hristú (m.H.).) |
| Άννα-Μαρία Ασλανίδου: Όχι «μετά Χριστού». Λέμε «μετά Χριστόν». (Óhi "metá Hristú." Léme "metá Hristón.") |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Μαριτίνα Χαλεπά: Ο πόλεμος ξεκίνησε το 220 μετά Χριστού (μ.Χ.). (O pólemos xekínise to diakósia íkosi metá Hristú (m.H.).) |
| Michael: "The war began in 220 anno Domine (AD)." |
| Άννα-Μαρία Ασλανίδου: Όχι «μετά Χριστού». Λέμε «μετά Χριστόν». (Óhi "metá Hristú." Léme "metá Hristón.") |
| Michael: "Not ‘anno Domine.' We say ‘anno Domini. '" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In this conversation, we hear another situation in which a person makes a common mistake in Greek, even though they're native Greek speakers. |
| Michael: Maritina begins the conversation by saying, |
| Chrissi: Ο πόλεμος ξεκίνησε το 220 μετά Χριστού (μ.Χ.). (O pólemos xekínise to diakósia íkosi metá Hristú (m.H.).) |
| Michael: "The war began in 220 Anno Domine (AD)," to which Άννα-Μαρία Ασλανίδου responds, |
| Chrissi: Όχι «μετά Χριστού». Λέμε «μετά Χριστόν». (Óhi "metá Hristú." Léme "metá Hristón.") |
| Michael: "Not ‘anno Domine. ' We say ‘anno Domini.'" |
| Michael: This is another example of ways even native speakers make mistakes in Greek. It's important to familiarize yourself with the common mistakes even Greeks make since you're likely to encounter these. Hopefully, it will also make you more comfortable practicing Greek knowing that even the most experienced speakers make mistakes too. |
| Michael: In the example above, we see Maritina make the mistake of incorrectly pronouncing the very common expression AD,"anno Domini" that is used in historical dates. |
| Chrissi: μετά Χριστού (metá Hristú) |
| Michael: However, as Anna-Maria points out, the correct version is |
| Chrissi: μετά Χριστόν (metá Hristón) |
| Michael: Mixing up simple word endings, like |
| Chrissi: μετά Χριστού (metá Hristú) |
| Michael: and |
| Chrissi: μετά Χριστόν (metá Hristón) |
| Michael: can happen even among native Greek speakers. Maybe you've noticed that the same is true of speakers of your native language. This is why it's so important to master grammar and vocabulary as you continue with your language learning. As you become exposed to advanced language, you will become more aware of these common errors. that become an integral part of everyday language. |
| Michael: Let's take a look at another common mistake native Greek speakers make. |
| Michael: Oftentimes, as you learn a new language, especially if your native language does not utilize gendered nouns, it can be difficult at first to master this grammatical characteristic especially when adjectives are involved in a sentence since they need to follow the gender of the noun they define. Don't stress, however. This is a mistake that even native speakers sometimes make. |
| Michael: Take, for example, |
| Chrissi: Τριάµισι χρόνια (Triáµisi chrónia), |
| Michael: meaning "three and a half years" which may be said incorrectly as |
| Chrissi: Τρεισήµισι χρόνια (Treisíµisi chrónia). |
| Michael: These compound words both meaning "three and a half" are a reflection of misused gender in one of the compounds which creates a conflict with the neuter noun that follows. The correct version is: |
| Chrissi: Τριάµισι (Triáµisi) |
| Michael: instead of |
| Chrissi: Τρεισήµισι (Treisíµisi) |
| Michael: Because in Greek we say |
| Chrissi: τρία χρόνια (tría chrónia) |
| Michael: and not |
| Chrissi: τρεις χρόνια (treis chrónia) |
| Michael: In the incorrect version, we have the masculine and feminine adjective "three" defining a neuter noun when it should be neuter as well. This type of mistake can be made even by a native speaker so it's a good idea to start mastering genders even as a beginner level student to improve your grammar and move towards fluency more quickly! |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sentences we heard in this lesson. I will say the English translation, and then you will have a few seconds to say the Greek out loud. Chrissi will then model the correct answer. Listen to her and repeat, with the focus on your pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Maritina Chalepa says "The war began in 220 anno Domine (AD)." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi: Ο πόλεμος ξεκίνησε το 220 μετά Χριστού (μ.Χ.). (O pólemos xekínise to diakósia íkosi metá Hristú (m.H.).) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Chrissi: Ο πόλεμος ξεκίνησε το 220 μετά Χριστού (μ.Χ.). (O pólemos xekínise to diakósia íkosi metá Hristú (m.H.).) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi: Ο πόλεμος ξεκίνησε το 220 μετά Χριστού (μ.Χ.). (O pólemos xekínise to diakósia íkosi metá Hristú (m.H.).) |
| Michael: And do you remember how Anna-Maria Aslanidou says "Not 'anno Domine.' We say 'anno Domini.'" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi as Anna-Maria: Όχι «μετά Χριστού». Λέμε «μετά Χριστόν». (Óhi "metá Hristú." Léme "metá Hristón.") |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Chrissi as Anna-Maria: Όχι «μετά Χριστού». Λέμε «μετά Χριστόν». (Óhi "metá Hristú." Léme "metá Hristón.") |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi as Anna-Maria: Όχι «μετά Χριστού». Λέμε «μετά Χριστόν». (Óhi "metá Hristú." Léme "metá Hristón.") |
| Cultural Expansion |
| Michael: Talking about common mistakes that even native Greek speakers make, here is a little trivia for you. How do you say "I'll see you at 1 o'clock." in Greek? |
| Chrissi: Θα σε δω στη μία (Tha se do sti mía). |
| Michael: or |
| Chrissi: Θα σε δω στις μία (Tha se do stis mía). |
| Michael: Leave your answer in the comments! |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Chrissi: Γεια χαρά! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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